Yamaha
P1600
Amplifiers

Product Description

The P1600 amplifier delivers outstanding sound quality with remarkable efficiency. All of this power and performance comes in a compact 2-space rack-mount size that makes installation and transport easy. If you need transparent amplification with excellent reliability and superior performance, give the P1600 a close look.

User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
JAMB
a AudioPhile

Date Reviewed: October 9, 2002

Bottom Line:

I've been looking for a decent amplifier for the past three months, and since you'd be dishing out more than half a grand, you'd better do your research. I've searched high and low for the optimum choice (not just affordable) of an amplifier that would endure the bumps of being mobile and delivering excellent sound reproduction at the same time. Seems like an incompatible combination but there are amp users of our kind. Simply put, we can't afford two amps. I use the amp for drama presentations, and an amp that powers both my monitor speakers when I edit my footage with Avid. I must say I am very satisfied with what this amp could offer. I iniitally had apprehensions about the EEEngine sustaining power when the signal slowly escalated. But as I bumped it up several notches ....the amp had power to sustain a "meatier" signal without batting an eyelash. There seemed to be no power lapses at all. The specs do say that THD was less than .05% and it surely sounds that way. The signals were quite distinct, and I began to realise new tones and expressive nuances in music that I have listened over and over before. I thought they were nuances brought about by power fluctuations, but a simple repeat of the same bars did reveal that they were really there. I would listen to Bach's Orchestral Suites Nos. 1-4 (Capella Istropolitana/ Jaroslav Dvorak), and you could hear the horse hairs sometimes scratching when they were not supposed to.

I would recommend this product to those who want a robust amp with audiophile qualities. It is excellent for monitor speakers as well. Most amps in this category have THD's usually less than1% and S/N ratios that are not necessarily acceptable.

Also, the p1600s elder brothers were THX approved (Lucasfilm, Ltd. ) I "would" like to assume that the circuit design of the p1600 amps are similar to its elder brothers only differing in power.

This is just my two cents worth, I encourage you to find out for yourself. Bring speakers you have grown to listen to over the years and audition the amp with them. You might hear your speakers breathe with new life.